The owners: William and Mollie Van Devender, who bought the property in 2005 for $20.35 million. A Mississippi timber executive, William Van Devender gave $2,300, the maximum financial
donation allowed under federal law, to Arizona Republican John McCain in last year’s campaign, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. Both Van Devenders contributed to Tennessee Republican (and actor) Fred
Thompson during his unsuccessful run in the presidential primary.

Locals say the Obamas initially focused their holiday research on Oak Bluffs,
a Vineyard neighborhood where they've vacationed before and where a number of wealthy African American friends have summer homes, including Henry Louis
Gates Jr.

Gates is the Harvard professor whose arrest after breaking in to his
own house in Cambridge, Mass., led Obama to say the police "acted stupidly," a remark he later softened by inviting Gates and arresting Sgt. James Crowley to the White House for a much-photographed beer "summit."

But apparently everyone decided that a presidential stay in Oak Bluffs would cause traffic jams.

Instead, although First Lady Michelle Obama and the girls might come earlier and stay with friends elsewhere on the island, they'll meet up at Blue Heron when the president arrives.

Likely attractions for the president: a swimming pool, private access to Squibnocket Beach, a private dock with kayaks and a yacht, a golf practice range and, if that weren't enough, a basketball court.

-- Johanna Neuman

Photo: Barack Obama with daughters Malia and Sasha in Kailua, Hawaii, last August, when he was still a candidate. Credit: Marco Garcia / Associated Press